The Unexpected Mother
by Rivan Warrioress
Summary: Modern Day AU. Brienne Tarth's life could not be considered dull. Every day was different and varied, and often unpredictable. When she was the sole guardian of six children it wasn't expected for her to have a quiet life. This is how the girl who never planned on becoming a mother, became one.


**A.N. All recognizable characters are the property of their respective creators/owners. I own nothing. This story was inspired by Catalyst, by sassbewitchedmyass. if you like this, I really recommend you check that story out too.**

Brienne Tarth's life could not be considered day was different and varied, and often she was the sole guardian of six children it wasn't expected for her to have a quiet life.

When she was young Brienne had never wanted this sort of 'd dreamed of excitement and 'd dreamed of a life of bringing justice to the world, maybe as a police officer, or by joining the military, not of being a maternal figure to six and trying to bring them up on her was tall and strong, and she loved sports in school, and her father had always said she'd do well in a disciplined environment where physical skill was encouraged.

All of those dreams, however, had come crashing down just after her fourteenth 'd gone along with a group of her school friends to a party, although she had no memories of that 'd decided to not drink, but somebody had spiked her soda with closest friend, Renly, had found her after she'd been missing for an hour, stripped naked and barely police had been called and several highly embarrassing medical examinations later it had been determined that Brienne had been raped.

Brienne rarely thought of the first few weeks after the attack, it had all passed in a blur remembered her father being there, completely overwhelmed by everything, but still trying to be supportive, and Renly too, calling in every day after school to visit and check up on her wellbeing, trying to distract her from what had happened, although he was not that much older than her and according to his so called friends, Brienne wasn't worth the attention.

What Brienne did remember, quite clearly, was the day her doctor had told her that the rape had resulted in the conception of a had been shattered by the was the end of all of her hopes and dreams for the police force in the world would ever employ a single mother, a victim of rape no would never believe that she could be impartial and focused on her job during the most confronting of cases if she had past trauma in that area.

Brienne refused to let the news rule her life kept attending school until she was too physically tired by the effects pregnancy was having on her fourteen year old body to do so, and even then her teachers sent home her work to complete, allowing her to keep up to date with her the school year ended, and summer vacation began, Brienne had managed to maintain her grades.

Not long after the summer holidays began Brienne gave than anyone expected, it had seemed her body, though taller than anyone else her age that Brienne knew, and physically strong, hadn't been able to handle the pregnancy anymore, and begun 's baby, a tiny boy, was born a full two months before he was being small, though, he'd been as healthy as could be expected, considering how premature he'd been.

Brienne had been slow to take to councillor she'd been seeing since the rape had spoken to the doctors and nurses at the hospital, and so they had let everything been done at Brienne's Brienne hadn't been ready to try feeding the baby, that was OK, they would try donated breast milk, if Brienne hadn't been ready to hold her son, maybe her father would like a cuddle instead.

The baby's premature birth had been lucky in one the first few weeks he'd been too small to move from his incubated crib, unable to maintain his own body heat, and Brienne had been recovering from the the baby was a couple of days old he developed an infection in his lungs, further extending the amount of time he needed to be kept in the first few times she saw her son was either photos her father had taken, or watching her son as he slept in the special care nursery, in his little enclosed incubator.

The baby was a week old before Brienne went into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, sat in the chair beside his crib, and watched as a nurse gently placed the baby right on Brienne's chest, tucking Brienne's robe around the both of them to keep the baby hand's trembling, Brienne had cradled her baby for the first time in his life, unable to believe that something so small, and yet so innocent, had been the result of such a horrible had been that very day that Brienne decided to name her little boy Podrick.

From that day on little Podrick had gotten stronger, seeming to draw his strength from his time each day spent cradled in Brienne's arms, and it wasn't that long before he was allowed to go a baby in the house with just Brienne and her father was challenging, but they made it of her father's friends came and lived with them, and she'd helped Breinne adapt to motherhood.

Everyone they met cooed over Podrick, and how good a baby he was, and Brienne, who had heard her fair share of horror stories, mainly about herself as a baby, was inclined to was placid, he rarely cried, and was quick to slept well, and he was easy to were some who bemoaned how luck Brienne was to have such an easy baby, and they warned that things would get more difficult, but they just didn't seem to.

Brienne was able to go back to school only a month after her classmates, while Podrick was looked after at home, and they seemed to fall into a nights after school Renly came over after school and played with Podrick while Brienne did her homework, although sometimes she watched Renly with Podrick, and knew that at some point Renly would make a wonderful father, even though he would never choose to marry were two main reasons first was that Renly was from one of the most important families in the country, and Brienne, although her father wasn't poor, just didn't have the same social class as other reason was far more compelling himself had told her one day that he liked boys, which although had disappointed Brienne on a personal level, she had supported Renly completely.

Still, Renly was often busy with his own life, and although they still hung out at school, Brienne noticed that he didn't visit her house as often as he once did, and she began to feel lonely.

Her father, however, soon found a solution.A playgroup, where families could come together, and Brienne could interact with other mothers, inexperienced mothers like herself, as well as mothers who had multiple children, and lots of knowledge to share.

The first time Brienne went she hadn't wanted to go, but her father had dropped her and Podrick off, and promised to be back in an hour, and if she didn't like it, she didn't have to come back.

Brienne had carried Podrick into the building the playgroup was being held in, wincing a little at the found herself a relatively corner, and found a toy that she though Podrick might like, settling him on a mat and offering it to , never one to cause a drama, tok the toy and began to play with it, kicking his legs settled into watching, both him, and everything else that was going on, and she was soon approached by a kind faced woman, with long dark red hair, tied back in a braid.

"Hello" greeted the woman with a smile, "you must be Brienne."

Brienne nodded, "I'm sorry…I don't know who you are."

"I'm Catelyn…but you can call me Cat, everyone else father knows my husband, Ned."

"Ned…Ned Stark?" Brienne often heard her father mention Ned Stark, but she'd never met the man, nor his wife.

"Yes, that's told me that he'd suggested to your father that you come father mentioned that you seemed a bit lonely and…overwhelmed with everything."

Brienne cast her eyes down, and nodded, her cheeks colouring in , however, tutted and reached our, using her finger under Brienne's chin to lift her face.

"None of that," Catelyn Stark soothed, "You're doing amazingly well, you should be proud of yourself…I know your father is proud of , tell me about your little man, hmmm."

"This is Podrick" Brienne introduced, picking up Podrick and holding him against gurgled happily, smiling up at Brienne, before he smiled at Catelyn as well.

Catelyn laughed, "What a happy little old is he?"

"Nearly six months," Brienne nodded, pressing a kiss to the top of Podrick's head, before messing with his thick brown hair.

"Just a touch younger than my Sansa then, she's almost eight months."

"How many children do you have, Catelyn?"

"It's Cat," corrected Catelyn, "I've got three 's looking after Sansa, over there," she gestured to another area of the room, where a man was holding a small girl with red hair and reading her a story, with a cluster of other children sitting around and listening, enraptured, to the sound of the man's voice.

"Robb and Jon are over there with the building blocks," Catelyn gestured to a pair of boys who were working together to build some sort of fortress, "Robb's three, and Jon's two and a 's my nephew, but his mother and father are both dead, so we look after him."

Brienne could remember hearing about the tragedy of Ned Stark's sister, who fell in love with a widower, not much older than herself, only for him to be killed less than a year followed a few months later, moments after giving birth to her , however, didn't seem worried about that at the moment, both he and his cousin laughing as a part of the construction tumbled down noisily.

Catelyn sighed, shaking her head, "boys…" she smiled, "as good as those two are…I am glad we got Sansa to balance things out a bit at our house."

In Brienne's arms Podrick began to wriggle, and she settled him back down to the mat he had been laying wriggled about, until he'd rolled over onto his stomach, reaching for a toy that had captured his it without too much trouble, he rolled back onot his back and began playing with it.

Catelyn settled next to Brienne, and Brienne found herself not minding the older woman's was…nice sitting and taking with Catelyn, obviously someone who loved her children, and knew a little about bringing them up.

As Podrick played, occupying himself, Brieen and Catelyn talked…about all sorts of different were left alone, until Robb and Jon came over and began to play gently with had watched the whole time, her heart in her mouth, but Podrick and giggled and laughed as they older boys played little games with him, obviously ones they'd played with Sansa at home.

"Hello, Brienne," a voice interrupted, and Brienne looked p, startled to spot her father.A glance at her watch telling her that over an hour had passed, and she'd barely noticed.

That day had been one of the best of Brienne's day she met the Stark then on Brienne counted Catelyn Stark as one of her closest older woman advised Brienne on all sorts of things, not just things relating to Podrick.

At least once a week Brienne, her father and Podrick would go to the Stark's house for dinner, and once Podrick and Sansa were a little older, Catelyn and Brienne often planned to meet at the park near Brienne's house so the children could play and her father had celebrated with the Starks when Catelyn had announced that she was pregnant day that Brienne got a message on her phone that Catelyn had gone into hospital to have her baby Brienne waited until she'd finished school, and then walked to the hospital, and had ended up being one of the first visitors Catelyn received, and one of the first who got to cradle little Arya in her arms.

The years had seemed to flow by after and Catelyn had another baby boy, Bran, and Brienne had graduated from high school, with her father, Podrick Ned and Catelyn in the crowd cheering for had gone off to college although she'd stayed close to home, unable to bring herself to be too far away from when she couldn't be there, Catelyn arranged things with Brienne's father so that Podrick wouldn't miss out with his play dates with the was while Brienne was in her second year of college when the Stark family grew yet again.

Brienne had been the one to introduce Renly to Ned and Catelyn Stark at Podricks' first birthday party, although Renly had already met the couple when he was and Renly's oldest brother had gone to school together, and had been quite close, although Brienne had heard that they were considerably more distant as late, with Ned disagreeing Robert's business choices.

One night Renly had showed up at the Stark's house, a young boy with him…a boy with the distinctive Baratheon black hair and blue had been there that night, having been at dinner with the family and she had watched it all play out.

The mother of the boy, one of Robert's favoured prostitutes, although he seemed to have many, and had fathered children on most of them, had just died, and Robert either refused to, or couldn't, take responsibility for the was about the same age as Sansa and Podrick, although he was taller than both of knew just from looking at him that Gendry had lived a hard life already, despite only being six years barely twenty years old Renly was hardly in the position to take in his nephew either.

Ned Stark had never been one to turn away someone in need, so he'd agreed to take in the Stark's lawyers arranged everything with Robert's Lawyers, and after what was, apparently, according to Catelyn Stark, a scathing phone conversation between Ned and Robert, Gendry officially became a member of the Stark's household.

By the time Brienne finished college, Catelyn was pregnant again, although the death of Brienne's father soured the had never been so grateful for the Starks than their support and assistance in the planning for the funeral, and everything that came afterwards.

Brienne soon found a job…working for the Stark's company, doing security wasn't police work, as she'd dreamed, but it was fairly close, and her hours meant that she could still have her evenings at home with Podrick, and weekends had been Brienne who had brought the Stark siblings, including Jon and Gendry to visit their new Baby Brother, Rickon.

Rickon would be the last of Ned and Catelyn's children, but he was just as loved as his older brothers and that point the children didn't seem to differentiate between themselves, and Pod, including him in all of their games, and in everything he did, even though he didn't actually live with laughed it off whenever Brienne brought it up, waving away Brienne's concerns about her and Podrick intruding on the Stark's family.

"Nonsense," Catelyn would smile, "you are a part of our children love you both, as do Ned and are both so important to us.I don't know what we would do without you."

It had been so good, and Brienne had known that it wouldn't last…but even then she hadn't been prepared for the phone call that interrupted her peaceful evening with Podrick.

She and Podrick had been having a night with just the two of them, in Brienne's little 'd had pizza for dinner, a special treat, and then they'd watched Podrick's favourite had, predictably, fallen asleep, nestled against his mother, when Brienne's mobile had begun to had been plugged in, charging, and it had taken awhile for Brienne to worm her way out from beneath the sleeping nine year old.

Brienne hadn't recognized the phone number when she'd answered the phone, identifying herself before she'd listened in growing horror of the news the police officer on the other end of the line had to tell.

Ned and Catelyn had taken their children…Robb, Jon, Gendry, Sansa, Arya, Bran and little baby Rickon to see Ned's brother, lived in the far north, working as a park ranger in the remote, icy wilderness, both looking after animals, and also doing charity work with the communities up in the isolated north, helping them with supplies and earning a were returning back home, coming along the perhaps aptly named Dreadfort 'd reached the "twins" bridge, crossing the River Trident, but as they'd crossed the bridge another car, coming up from the south, had veered into the path of the Stark's force of the impact had sent the Stark's car tumbling into the water below, and although help had been quick to come, it had been a difficult rescue.

Protected by their position in the car, Sansa, Arya, Gendry and Jon had escaped without serious rest of the family had not been so fortunate.

Ned, Catelyn and baby Rickon had been killed instantly by the initial impact, suffering massive crushing , only five years old, had been seriously hurt in the initial crash, and had been pulled from the water by Jon, unconscious and barely boy was in hospital, clinging on to life by a thread.

Robb, the oldest of the brood, wasn't as had tried to save him, undoing his seatbelt and getting him out of the submerged the time emergency crews had arrived Robb had been on the shore of the river with Bran and the rest of the siblings, but despite the best efforts of everyone, they hadn't been able to revive him.A piece of wreckage had pierced him in the abdomen, but the early medical examiner's report theorised that he'd drowned.

Heartbroken, Brienne had called Renly, begging him to watch Podrick for the night, and the next day if he had agreed, arriving not an hour later, and Brienne had jumped into her car and headed towards the hospital where the children had been taken.

She was greeted at the hospital by a policeman, Detective Chief Inspector Jeor Mormont, the detective in charge of the investigation, who after checking her ID, gave her a few more details.

The driver of the other car had not yet been found, and the car had been reported as stolen two days 's injuries were serious, and if he survived his dream of joining his favourite sports team, the Knights, would never was highly possible he'd never walk again, paralysed from the waist down, but it remained uncertain, too early for the doctors to needed to wait for the swelling to go down.

DCI Mormont led her through the hospital towards the children's of the children had been examined upon their arrival at the hospital, and Bran was the only one injured, other than small cuts and bruises, all of which had been police had not yet taken any statements, having decided to wait until morning before asking the children to relieve their ordeal, as well as waiting for Brienne to be present.

"I'll warn you, Miss Tarth," DCI Mormont offered, "this is going to be older one, he's only…"

"Eleven…Robb and Jon are both eleven," Brienne supplied, before she closed her eyes in it was only was gone, and so was little had only celebrated his first birthday a few short weeks ago, and now he was and Sansa were both only nine, the same age as Podrick, and Arya was , only five years old, was hanging on by a thread, and if he did survive he might not walk was horrible to think of a boy as bright and energetic as Bran Stark being trapped in a wheelchair for the rest of his life…but it would be better than the alternative.

Brienne stopped then, letting out a 'd cried most of the way to the hospital, and she wished she'd taken Renly up on his offer of having his friend, Loras, drive her to the hospital, lest she end up in an accident too.

DCI Mormont let her have her moment, offering her a tissue to wipe her took some deep, steadying breaths, just like she remembered her councillor telling her to do after she'd been raped, and her emotions and thoughts hadn't been struggling to had helped her gather her composure then, and it did so again now…she knew that she had to hold it together, for the sake of the children.

Brienne would never forget the moment she walked into the room the children had been put was in the Intensive Care Unit, still fighting for life, but the others were all there…Jon, Gendry, Sansa and Arya.A policewoman was there, watching over them, and she gave Brienne a nod, before leaving the room when Detective Chief Inspector Mormont gestured for her to door closed behind her, leaving Brienne alone with the children.

Brienne had never seen Jon so pale, his dark curls sticking to his head as he gazed down at his hands, resting in his was leaning against him, sandwiched between Jon and Gendry, tears rolling down her had a hand on Arya's back and was rubbing it up and down, looking completely unaware of what he was was sitting on Jon's other side, her knees drawn up tightly, so her thighs were pressing against her chest, her arms resting on her knees, and her blue eyes, so much like her mothers, peering up at Brienne tearfully.

"Brienne?" she choked out, the only one capable of speech it seemed, although Brienne couldn't blame the children for that, she was lost for words wordlessly nodded, and Sansa was on her feet and racing towards caught Sansa in her arms, embracing the girl tightly.

"Is this really happening?Is this real?" Sansa nodded swallowing her emotions, rubbing Sansa's back comfortingly.

"It…it is, I'm so sorry, to all of you."

"I'm glad they called you," Sansa whispered, "they asked us who to call, and Jon and I said you straight away."

Brienne looked across at Jon, who nodded, although didn't he sniffed, and a tear rolled down his cheek, landing on the top of Arya's head.

"How…how's Bran?" Gendry asked.

"Still hanging on, he's in the Intensive Care Unit, I'll go check on him after I'm sure you are OK."

Gendry nodded, and Brienne guided Sansa back towards the others.

The room was obviously decorated with children in mind, with brightly coloured animals painted on the was four beds in the room, but all of them had been clustered on sat on the bed across from it, watching the children.

"Brienne…" Arya whimpered, her breath hitching slightly as the smallest of the children slid down off the bed and ran across the room towards Brienne and easily picked her up, putting Arya in her lap as Arya clung onto her, just as she'd been clinging onto had always been small for her age, and Brienne held her tightly, making sure she didn't slip off and hurt noticed the bandaged wrapped around Arya's arm, and wondered what injury lay beneath, obviously nothing major, as DCI Mormont had reassured her that other than Bran the children hadn't been seriously injured.

"It's alright," Brienne soothed, "I know it won't feel like it now, and it will be a long time before it does feel like it, but one day…it will feel better, I promise."

Brienne's words were enough to bring the two boys over to her, and they clambered onto the bed beside her, alongside three older children wrapped themselves around her, with Arya still cradled in her arms.

"I promise, from this day until my last day, I will watch over you all and protect you and do all I can keep you happy and safe.I swear that I will shield your back, and keep your counsel, and give my life for yours if need be. I swear it by the old gods and the new."

Brienne's words were enough to bring them all to tears, and together, they huddled together and grieved all they had lost that tragic and Catelyn, Robb and Rickon.

Now it was just Brienne, Jon, Gendry, Sansa, Podrick, Arya and Bran…Them, against the world.

**A.N. I hope you liked this. There will be a sequel, which will time jump a few years forwards, so don't worry about some things left open (who Podrick's biological father is, why Robert didn't want Gendry, who killed the Starks...ect)**

**In case you were wondering, Renly is NOT Podrick's father, he's just Brienne's friend.**

**And I really recommend checking out Catalyst by sassbewitchedmyass, if you haven't already.**


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